411’s Buy or Sell 09.21.07: Naomichi Marufuji, Samoa Joe as GHC Heavyweight Champion, The Age of the Fall, and More!
Posted by Samuel Berman on 09.21.2007
The 411 team discusses Ring of Honor and Pro Wrestling NOAH as Brad Garoon battles Matt Adamson!
Welcome everyone to WEEK TWENTY-THREE of BUY or SELL. For those of you who haven't been with us since the beginning, here's the Reader's Digest version of what this column is all about. BUY or SELL is very much like 411's long-running Fact or Fiction column. The main difference is that BUY or SELL focuses on topics like the U.S. Independent scene, Lucha Libre, Japanese Wrestling and pretty much anything else that isn't mainstream wrestling, WWE and or TNA. This allows for these areas to get a bit more press and for you, our loyal readers, to learn even more about the sport of professional wrestling.
Week Twenty-Three's Match-Up:
ROH, PWG, FIP and SHIMMER Reviewer Brad Garoon vs. Destiny's Matt Adamson!
Mitsuharu Misawa coming to the United States is as big a deal for Pro Wrestling NOAH as it is for Ring of Honor.
Brad Garoon : SELL. I don't actually see how this is a big deal for NOAH at all. Sure it will get press and bring Misawa some American exposure, but ROH fans already know about NOAH. Not only will Misawa not put in as amazing an effort as Kenta Kobashi did during his weekend in ROH, he's actually unable to. No new ROH fans will be converted to NOAH because of Misawa's appearance in ROH. On the other hand for the main dog in NOAH to come to ROH is a HUGE deal for Ring of Honor. Kobashi is a big name but Misawa is the GHC Heavyweight Champion and the figurehead of the company. I just don't see where NOAH is benefiting even a fraction as much as ROH is.
Matt Adamson : BUY . I feel almost exactly the opposite as Brad does about this particular issue. In fact I wrote a column on it a few months back. The facts are that despite all that promotions have done in the past, the Japanese have not really succeeded as being a draw in the U.S. It's an unfortunate fact, but I've yet to see where their presence has truly single handedly changed the scope of an event by a significant margin. Now, if Misawa was able to draw 3,500 or more for ROH I'd say this is a far bigger deal for ROH, but ultimately all that it will achieve is bragging rights. To NOAH this event signifies a further more important status in the U.S. Something they didn't have much of prior to their relationship with ROH. Misawa making the trip to the states is like the final nail in a house, a house that signifies the presence of NOAH in the U.S. has finally arrived. Without Misawa, it was never complete, but it is now.
0 for 1.
Necro Butcher and not group leader Jimmy Jacobs is actually the lynch pin to the success of the new The Age of the Fall angle in Ring of Honor.
Brad Garoon : SELL . I say this not because Jacobs is MORE important to the group than Necro is, but I think they are on equal footing for different reasons. Without Necro people would be far less interested in the Age of the Fall than they are. He was absent from the company a long time and there was a lot of clamor to bring him back in, but lets me honest, the guy isn't going to be able to cut the same kind of promos that Jacobs is. Everyone in the group has their role. Black will be able to bust out great matches against the Briscoes, Necro will do his thing and the fans will eat it up, and Jacobs will tie it together with great promos and background in the company.
Matt Adamson : SELL . Agreeing with Brad I have to say that ROH is smart enough in their booking to be able to pull off two people in an angle being of equal importance and value. That being said, I feel it's clear that Jimmy Jacobs is the star of this particular angle ultimately and his ability to bring the drama (something that Necro has yet proved to accomplish) will put him head and shoulders above much of the ROH roster by the time this angle hits its climax.
1 for 2.
Samoa Joe has no chance of winning the GHC Heavyweight Title during his first tour with Pro Wrestling NOAH.
Brad Garoon : BUY . First off Joe is on the TNA roster. Last time I checked TNA was working with Inoki's federation and has the champion on their roster. Should NOAH allow Joe to become GHC Heavyweight Champion I think it would be quite the conflict of interest. What would happen then should TNA book another Joe/Angle match? Another reason Joe can't win is that he's American, and while we all like to pretend it isn't true there is a fair amount of xenophobia in Japanese wrestling (just like their is in American wrestling). Great as he is Joe isn't going to become the first American to win that belt.
Matt Adamson : BUY . Anybody who's ever followed NOAH knows just how protective Misawa is of the GHC title. It takes somebody who is extremely over IN JAPAN for him to delve out of the formula he has established for champion of his promotion. Add to that pretty much everything that Brad mentioned and you have a pretty clear picture of the obvious answer here. Heck, I would hate it if Joe won. First, I don't think he is GHC material. He's no Misawa, Kobashi, Akiyama, or even Marufuji. He's talented but he has little reputation with the Japanese fans and has to develop that on a large scale before even having a shot at this. I don't even think Misawa would have given Lesnar the title if he'd gone with NOAH instead of New Japan. He's got a plan for the GHC title and Joe isn't in it.
2 for 3.
SWITCH~!
Having not yet started a program that is clearly building to Final Battle 2007 (as Homicide's quest for the ROH World Title did in 2006) is a bad decision by Ring of Honor management.
Matt Adamson : SELL . I think this program will pop up oh say around early November when the their biggest show of the year happens. I don't think they want to rush into something half-assed when they can have a mega-sized start at Glory By Honor. Maybe, just maybe there is something already in place we just don't know it yet. ROH has been very sneaky in their booking lately, making it very interesting, but who's to say they don't have another trick up their sleeve. Besides, the Homicide quest was a rare title chase that had already been a long time coming. It was a special occasion and to expect that every year is to expect WrestleMania to meet the level of the 17th edition every year.
Brad Garoon : SELL . I agree complete with Matt. Sure last year they had Homicide's program, but what did they have the year before that? Low Ki vs. KENTA was for that show only and had no build at all. The big feud actually ended on the show before Final Battle when Generation Next defeated The Embassy. The year before that Aries pinned Joe to win the World title but the big feud ended just before Final Battle when Joe finally pinned Punk. I'm sure Final Battle will live up to its impressive predecessors even without a feud ender after six months.
3 for 4.
No one will ever match Naomichi Marufuji's feat of having held all four major Pro Wrestling NOAH championships.
Matt Adamson : SELL . If NOAH stays around for the next 15 years, if I were a betting man, I'd say it'll happen within that time frame. NOAH was smart in putting Marufuji on top for what little time he has spent there and it was primarily because of how over he was. There are other wrestlers who are quite over (see: KENTA) who could work in well as a transitional champion role and also get in anything else that would be required to have all 4.
Brad Garoon : SELL . I could actually see KENTA matching that feat a few years down the line. Other than that it's unlikely that it would happen for a while. Marufuji really is a stand out wrestler and deserves the success he's experienced. NOAH has plenty of talented juniors, but what I'd love to see is Shuji Kondo come over to the green side and match Marufuji's accomplishment.
4 for 5.
Ring of Honor needing to have an age requirement (over 21) at its Las Vegas show is actually a blessing in disguise.
Matt Adamson : SELL . I don't exactly know why they would put a restriction like this on the show. It's not going to be any different than a show in Philly or NY. In fact it'll probably be much calmer than those two as Vegas is quite tranquil, though tempting. I honestly can't think of anything else to add. Brad?
Brad Garoon : BUY . but a borderline buy. The main reason I answered this question the way I did is because I hate watching ROH shows and hearing cursing and seeing thing like Jay Briscoe bleed from the ceiling when little kids are in the crowd. Now don't get me wrong, for my own entertainment I love a little cursing and plenty of bloodshed, but I think it's irresponsible of parents to bring small children to these shows, especially when they themselves are the ones shouting swears at the wrestlers. If I were ROH I'd use this over 21 night to do something really crazy with the Age of the Fall. Have them try to cut off out Mark Briscoe's tongue. Okay maybe not that but they should definitely take advantage of this night with less reason to hold back.
4 for 6!
The twenty-third edition of BUY or SELL finishes at 4 for 6. Stay tuned for next week when two new men will go head to head with a whole new set of topics.
